Pibeste Intégral: mountain running with a view of the Pyrenees

Pibeste Intégral: 3rd edition on Saturday 4 May 2024! The first two editions of the Pibeste Intégral were a success! A full house in terms of registrations, top-level runners in attendance, runners with smiles on their faces, a great organisation and a great party to round off the day. In short, it was a real treat! We're keeping the same ingredients, the same benchmarks, and moving on to the 3rd edition on 4 May! The Pibeste is the 1,349m summit that you can see from quite a distance, with the old cable car building and antenna, and which forms a massif, like an extended chain that you can see from the plain or from other viewpoints at altitude.

Situated between Lourdes to the north and Argelès-Gazost to the south, this is a very popular area for mountain and trail runners, as it's fairly close to the plain, offers an interesting gradient and a fairly extensive and varied playing field. The view of the Pyrenees from the top is superb!  This massif is home to a regional nature reserve, the Pibeste-Aoulhet, where many animal and plant species are protected. In 2023, the 2nd meeting on this integral Pibeste, with just as many people and just as much energy. The weather was capricious, fluctuating between quick showers and sunshine, but the temperatures were less harsh than on the former, which enabled records to be set in both races and among both men and women! The new time references belong to Pierre Comet (2h20'31) and Aurélie Paul-Grangé (2h47'27).

The route: 24km / 1750m+

The start is in the centre of Argelès-Gazost. You'll soon hit the trails. The first 6km are a gentle warm-up, with views over the valley, before you attack above Agos Vidalos: 835 m+ over around 4 km! A descent through the woods and a short, fairly steep path (on the Vallée de Batsurguère side) before returning to the Pibeste on a 500m+ climb! Then there's a downhill section where you'll need to keep cool and stay alert, with a fast finish, before crossing the finish line.

Some challenges.

Climb the Pibeste twice, yes... but that's not all! Climbing, descending, finishing, you can aim for the jersey ranking! And there are records to be beaten: well, it's a tough one, but give it a go!

- Red jersey: best climber on the first ascent of the Pibeste! Just over 3km and 800m+, you'll have to show who's got the best (biggest?) thighs!

- Black jersey: best descender on the 2nd descent of the Pibeste! It looks easy enough as it is... but at full throttle, it hurts! Especially at that point in the race. 4 km and 700 m- roughly.

- Blue jersey: best finisher at the end of the course! Come on, if you've still got a bit left, you've still got a chance to get your jersey back. But there's a bit of a bump to make it even more fun. 3 km / 120 m+ / 200 m-

- and the yellow jersey for the winners, of course.

Awards

Prizes will be awarded to the first 5 scratch men and women, 1st master over 40, 1st young junior hopeful, and distinctive jerseys. The prizes will include personalised trophies, shopping vouchers, technical products or local produce. Prize money for the top 5 scratch men's and women's riders (€600 / 400 / 200 / 100 / 100) and also supplements depending on times.

2024 edition

This year's race will once again be hotly contested, with many favourites capable of taking victory.

Among the men: Pierre Comet (winner 2023 and record holder) will have to battle it out with Matthieu Simon (Team Brooks), Paul Mathou (Team On Running), Asier Larruzea (Euskalmushing Team) and also Cyril Pasturel (2nd 2023), Edgar Dumas (5th 2023), Josu Urrustarazu (Winner Sara Korrika), Adrien Astié, Hugo Bucciarelli, Romain Bidau, Simon Gourc. A fine Top 5 in prospect!

Among the women: Mathilde Sagnes (2022 winner, Team Merrel) will be there to try and take back the record. She will be up against Aurélie Grangé-Paul (winner 2023, record holder), Ainara Urrutia (9th Skyrunning World Series 2023), Maud Combarieu (2nd 2023), Nadège Servant, Mylene Marionnaud and Marlène Vannesson. Here too, the battle will be fierce.

More information: www.pibeste-integral.com